2021
Pink City II (as soft boys go deeper) delves into the intricate depths of the artist’s psyche, offering a profound exploration of queerness, poetry, and the multifaceted nature of human experience. Within the immersive journey of the artist’s four alter-egos and imagination, the film skillfully weaves together deeply personal essays and evocative poetic self-expression to navigate the interplay between reality and the ethereal realm of the imagination. At its core, Pink City II serves as a sanctuary, a safe haven for those on the margins of societal norms. The ethereal space created by the artist transcends traditional notions of gender, becoming a shapeless and fluid refuge, allowing individuals to liberate themselves from the constraints of a discriminative and heteronormative reality. Through evocative imagery and thought-provoking symbolism, the film invites viewers to question their own perceptions of identity and the boundaries that society imposes. Pink City II (as soft boys go deeper) is an invitation to journey into the artist’s dreamscape, where poetry and visual art intersect to create a transformative experience. It celebrates the resilience of queer individuals in Azerbaijan and the power of art as a tool for liberation and self-discovery. With each frame, the film challenges the viewer to embrace their own authenticity and to find solace in the boundless expanses of the imagination.
Agil Abdullayev
Azerbaijan
Agil Abdullayev is a cross-disciplinary artist, manifesting his works through video, conceptual essays, photography, and community-based projects in Baku. The semi-biographical practice of Agil, examines how queer identity has been shapen within political opressions. He regards his childhood experiences as an archive of personal history, transhistorical memory, and space of hyper-possibility where representations of queer narratives can be disrupted, re-articulated, and reinvented.